Microsoft’s Windows Vista released into consumer hands today. AMD released the WHQL certified Catalyst 7.1 for Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit editions yesterday. NVIDIA, well NVIDIA is doing something because there are still no final WHQL certified drivers for its flagship GeForce 8800-series graphics cards.

While beta drivers are available for GeForce 8800-series users to enjoy Vista, the lack of final drivers is a bit strange. The GeForce 8800-series is the first DirectX 10 compliant add-in graphics card available and with NVIDIA aggressively touting the feature, you would think the drivers would be out of beta by now. Instead of releasing final GeForce 8800-series compatible ForceWare release 100 drivers, users are treated with a new beta released today in time for the Windows Vista launch. The ForceWare release 100 driver arrives the same time as NVIDIA sent out a press release claiming “NVIDIA and Windows Vista Deliver Outstanding New 3D Computing Experience.”

In the same press release, NVIDIA claims:

NVIDIA is the only graphics company with four generations of GPUs and MCPs to be certified by Microsoft to be Windows Vista Premium Ready, and the only graphics company to release Microsoft DirectX 10-capable GPUs. For consumers, this means a stellar out-of-the-box experience with Windows Vista driven by the NVIDIA hardware inside the PC.

This is slightly amusing as the latest generation of NVIDIA GPUs lack final drivers. I do not think users that jumped on the GeForce 8800-series bandwagon will have stellar out-of-the-box experiences with Windows Vista using beta drivers. System manufacturers with GeForce 8800-series Windows Vista systems will not exactly be too pleased either, considering it is not good business practice to sell consumers systems with drivers of questionable stability.

For those lucky enough to own a GeForce 8800-series graphics card and already hopped on the Windows Vista bandwagon, the latest ForceWare release 100 drivers are available for Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit releases. Users of other NVIDIA products can grab the final ForceWare release 95 for Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit editions.

"Well, we didn't have anyone in line that got shot waiting for our system." -- Nintendo of America Vice President Perrin Kaplan